


People Watching

by gracetheworld



Series: Naruto Fics [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Day 1 | Reincarnation, KakaObi Week 2019, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-20 17:39:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17626691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracetheworld/pseuds/gracetheworld
Summary: People watching: an art that he has mastered a long time ago; some might even say that he has mastered it in another lifetime. It is something that is quickly becoming a routine in this new life of his surrounded by old faces that don't remember the past.A routine that is quickly broken by Uchiha Obito.





	People Watching

**Author's Note:**

> It's Kakaobi week! I wasn't planning to write a fic for this prompt, but I suddenly got an idea last night so... uwu
> 
> and I actually wrote a one shot, wow can you see that? I'm proud of myself uwu

> _People watching: an art that he has mastered a long time ago; some might even say that he has mastered it in another lifetime._

Those people… aren’t wrong, Kakashi muses as he observes the people within his classroom while pretending to read a book (a familiar, orange bound book).

So many familiar faces, yet none of them recognize him.

He wonders if he’s the only one who remembers about a lifetime of violence where child soldiers are a thing and so are beasts made from chakra.

Oh, don’t forget a moon goddess hell bent on subjugating the world.

Pfft, like anybody could—oh wait, literally everyone forgets except for Kakashi.

He watches them talking with each other, befriending each other in this new classroom in a new school. He watches Asuma flirting with Kurenai (and failing miserably at it). He watches Gai, trying to give people his Youthfullness Speech. He sees Ibiki, probably sharing some sadistic ideas as he is talking to Anko. He watches Genma and Raidou speaking with Rin—

— Rin, who is so close to him, but he could (would) never try to befriend. Not because he hates her, but because he fears hurting her again.

Ah, even after the resolution he achieved during that war, he still couldn’t completely stop blaming himself for Rin’s death.

He takes his eyes away from Rin, who doesn’t even notice his gaze… only to find Gai standing right in front of his table, doing the good guy pose. “Hello, friend! I see you are alone and it is very not youthful, so I’ve decided to greet you! My name is Gai!” He introduces himself.

Kakashi chooses to reply like how he always did. “Hm? You were saying?”

Gai looks immediately struck. “Gah! So cool and hip!” He actually tears up. Gai has always been a bit of a drama queen. “From today on, I declare you as my rival—uh…”

Kakashi decides to take a pity on him. “Kakashi. Hatake Kakashi.”

“Then, from today on, I declare you as my eternal rival, Kakashi!”

( _It’s good to see Gai so happy and full of life… and able to walk with his own feet once more._ )

* * *

> _People watching: a skill that has been terribly useful in another life; and still is in his current one._

People might find it creepy, but Kakashi has long since mastered the art of pretending not to people watch. Not to mention that he has always been naturally observant of his surrounding, both in his past life and this one. For him, people watching is easy.

While people watching is easy for him, the people that he is watching and observing are _not_. Not for his heart and mind anyways. Not when they look so carefree with no burden of a lifetime hanging over their heads, while Kakashi is there cursed to remember a lifetime of nothing but tragedy.

Okay, so maybe all of his past life was a tragedy, but no one could argue that it mostly was.

Kakashi still wakes up from the occasional nightmares originating from his past life.

Still though—Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, Ibiki, Anko, Genma, Raidou, Aoba, Ebisu, and even Rin—they, he could handle. He still can interact with them just fine, pretending that he just knew them for two months, pretending that this classroom is where they first met, pretending that there is no such thing as a _past life_ —

But the boy in front of him, the boy with orange googles on his face, helping an elder woman carry her grocery bags across the street—the familiar boy who had been both his best friend and worst enemy in a lifetime so long ago—

That boy, he couldn’t handle.

So, if he ducks away and ran past the boy and the elder woman ( _running away from his problem, because that’s what he’s good at_ ), no one can blame him.

He curses himself when his shoulder accidentally bumps with the boy’s, but he ignores the boy’s annoyed yell, and gets himself as far away as possible.

Rin, he still could handle.

Obito? _No_.

* * *

> _People watching: The only thing he has been doing these days, it seems._

Well, can anyone fault him? He’s surrounded by faces of the past that don’t even remember said past. It’s hard to interact with them, expecting to talk about something ninja, only to turn out that they want to talk about the latest Math quiz that Danzo (he refuses to call the man sensei unless spoken directly to by that man).

Who the hell puts _Danzo_ as the Math teacher, anyways?

Ah, Sarutobi, apparently.

That aside, the point is—the point is that it’s _hard_ acting like a normal teenager; not when you remembered being a shinobi in a world long gone, and even the leader to one of the greatest ninja village.

Oh, and also the hormones.

Mostly the memories, though.

Due to the memories, it’s hard for him to interact with his classmates, and it resulted on him people watching more. It’s becoming a routine, really.

Wake up, eat breakfast with mom and dad ( _and oh, his mom and dad actually lived this time around_ ), go to school, do people watching until the teacher arrives, pretends to pay attention even though he already understands everything that has been taught ( _not because of his past life knowledge, but just because he’s a genius, duh_ ), go home, do his homework, dinner with mom and dad, read Jiraiya’s book, sleep.

And so on.

Apparently though, someone decided to break his routine today.

That someone, much to Kakashi’s annoyance and panic… is Obito.

“Class, today you have a new classmate. He’s two months late entering due to some family business.” Their homeroom teacher, who happens to be Minato-sensei, informs them as he enters the classroom, with Obito in tow.

“My name’s Uchiha Obito, please take care of me.” Obito introduces himself simply. His eyes are looking at the class, and Kakashi tries to sink as much as he could on his seat, hoping that Obito doesn’t see him—“Ah, you’re that guy who bumped into me yesterday!” The raven haired teen exclaims, pointing at Kakashi.

Crap.

Kakashi ignores Obito’s accusation, and turns towards Minato-sensei instead. “Sensei, I’m not feeling well.” He makes sure to put on the perfect act of feeling sick ( _he’s a brilliant actor. His students not knowing that he’s Sukea is just a proof of that_ ) to convince the blond.

“Ah, alright. You can go to the health care room, Kakashi-kun. Do you need anyone to help you go there?” Minato asks in concern.

Kakashi shakes his head and mutters thanks, before turning around to leave.

“Hey, wait—”

“Now, now, let him rest. Obito-kun, your seat is on that empty seat beside Kakashi-kun’s.”

That’s the last thing he hears as he slides the door close, and only one word echoes in his mind.

 _Shit_.

* * *

Kakashi doesn’t go to the health care room, no. He goes to the rooftop, his usual hiding place when the people around him becomes too much for him to handle, and tries to figure out a plan on how to avoid Obito.

He can’t avoid classes forever, but there is no way he can avoid Obito if he goes to class, seeing as Obito is _sitting right next to him_. Damn it, Minato-sensei, why did he put Obito beside Kakashi of all people?!

… because that’s the only empty seat available, right.

Still!

Uh… maybe he could just somehow get his parents and the school to let him to graduate early? Kakashi has all but mastered the lessons taught for this year and the next and catching up with the rest of the school curriculum is a simple matter for him, and his status as a genius helps too. So yeah, he should be able to graduate early…

Only if his parents and the school agree, that is.

His dad probably will, not so sure about his mom.

But his dad is whipped by his mom, so yeah, that idea’s a bust as well.

Ugh.

“Oi, wake up!” Kakashi blearily opens his eyes, only to be greeted by Obito’s face so close to his own—

 _SHIT_.

When did he even fall asleep?!

Kakashi immediately looks away. “U-Uh, you’re the new guy, right?” he asks, and curses himself for stuttering. Way to not make you look weird, Hatake. “L-look, about yesterday. Sorry, I was in a hurry, and—”

“Oi.”

“—And I wasn’t feeling so well, still not in fact—” oh gods, he’s rambling right now.

“Stop a mo—”

“—My mom wanted me to get home as fast as I can, and I didn’t—” he’s just bullshitting right now, isn’t he?

“Now, can’t you—”

“—pay attention to where I was going, so, I’m really sorry—”

“Bakakashi!”

Kakashi stops in the middle of his rambling, eyes wide as he turns to look at Obito, calling him with the nickname that has always been his. Sure, Minato used his name in front of Obito this morning, but to call a complete stranger that—

( _Could it be? Kakashi doesn’t dare to hope._ )

“Oh, good, you stopped now.” Obito sighs in relief. “Oi, Bakakashi, look at me.” He demands.

Nope, not going to.

“Look at me or I swear I’ll find your Icha-Icha collection and _burn_ them.” Obito threatens. “I might not be able to do katon anymore, but there is this thing called _matches_ —”

The instant Kakashi hears his precious collection and the word burning on the same sentence, Kakashi whirls around and glares at Obito. “You wouldn’t dare—” only to stop when his brain finally connects with the other sentence, wrapping around the word that no one else but Kakashi knows. Or at least, only Kakashi, up until now. Up until… “Obito?”

Obito smiles. “I thought I was the only one who remembers.” He replies wryly. “When we bumped into each other yesterday, I knew it was you, but I thought you didn’t remember, so I didn’t chase after you. This morning though, when you pointedly _tried_ to _avoid me_ , I just knew that you remember.” He leans forward, staring at Kakashi intensely. “Why are you avoiding me?”

Kakashi looks away again, this time more out of nervousness than anything. “Uh, reasons.”

A side glance towards Obito, he can see the raven haired teen rolling his eyes in exasperation. “Whatever.” Well, that’s a relief, Obito letting go of that.

Unexpectedly though, Obito pulls Kakashi into a hug. “Damn, I miss you, Kakashi.”

And at those words… it feels as if some of the burdens on his shoulders are lifted. Kakashi wraps his arms around Obito, pulling himself closer to the boy who is his best friend. He can feel a little bit of wetness on his shoulder. Obito is _crying_. “Yeah, I miss you too, crybaby.” He teases. “I miss you too.”

“Shut up, Bakakashi. You’re crying too.”

At Obito’s words, he realizes the damp feeling on his left cheek, and realizes that Obito’s right.

The both of them are crying, but who cares?

They are together again.

* * *

> _People watching: something he does less these days ever since Obito returns to his life._
> 
> _Obito watching: something he finds himself doing more these days._

Obito has been letting his hair grow longer lately, and goddamn it, he looks hot like th—

Oh, _shit_. He’s developing a crush on his best friend.  

Kakashi’s _doomed_.

**Author's Note:**

> Kakashi: shit, I'm gay for my best friend what do i do someone help asdfghjkl--
> 
> (Have I said I love writing Gai? Because I love writing Gai uwu)
> 
> .
> 
> Thanks for reading it this far, I hope you guys like it!
> 
> If you guys do like it and what to scream about it with me, you can find me in twitter and tumblr!
> 
> Tumblr: [@mirei191](https://mirei191.tumblr.com/)  
> Twitter: [@mirei191](https://twitter.com/mirei191/)


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